Poor quality of rental properties in Ireland..

kneesox

Hello, I rent houses in Ireland since 2006 and even being able to rent once on a more expensive side I was never able to find quality, modern house or apartment.
Please could anyone explain to me why it is so bed?
It seems landlords don't put any money whatsoever to make houses more attractive.
I feel nearly sick when I see the same tacky tiles and furnitures from 70's even in every single time. My choices where somehow limited because of the dog, but even apartments and places that wouldn't allow pets are just as bad, its close to ridiculous and one would wonder if those ads and prices are not a jokes only!

handlemaster

kneesox wrote: »

Hello, I rent houses in Ireland since 2006 and even being able to rent once on a more expensive side I was never able to find quality, modern house or apartment.
Please could anyone explain to me why it is so bed?
It seems landlords don't put any money whatsoever to make houses more attractive.
I feel nearly sick when I see the same tacky tiles and furnitures from 70's even in every single time. My choices where somehow limited because of the dog, but even apartments and places that wouldn't allow pets are just as bad, its close to ridiculous and one would wonder if those ads and prices are not a jokes only!

Animals destroy rental properties which will limit you on quality.

The main reason is Landlords are taxed very high after mortgage repayments maintenance etc there wouldnt be much left if anything. Why would they spend on furniture and fittings?

kneesox

handlemaster wrote: »

Animals destroy rental properties which will limit you on quality.

The main reason is Landlords are taxed very high after mortgage repayments maintenance etc there wouldnt be much left if anything. Why would they spend on furniture and fittings?

As I said, apart from my dog (who is clean house trained and never destroyed anything) I look at all houses available (pictures on daft) and its ALL bad.
Why would they spend anything? ( to be decent!? and not greedy and not rip people of letting them live in appealing conditions?
Have never seen this so bad anywhere in western world/ Europe!

Pkiernan

Compared to Germany (where I have direct experience) tenants in Ireland tend to:

1. Leave the place in a mess when they leave;
2. Use their security deposit as their last months rent;
3. Not care if they are frequently late with the rent;
4. Walk out on leases.

I had one tenant skip out owing 2 k in back rent and leaving 2 k in damages.
Landlords have no rights in Ireland.

The government takes 55% of your rental income - where is the incentive for a landlord to renovate?

godtabh

kneesox wrote: »

As I said, apart from my dog (who is clean house trained and never destroyed anything) I look at all houses available (pictures on daft) and its ALL bad.
Why would they spend anything? ( to be decent!? and not greedy and not rip people of letting them live in appealing conditions?
Have never seen this so bad anywhere in western world/ Europe!

Landords arent a charity. They are trying to maximize their investment and reduce their risk. Cheap furniture that is easily replaceable is part of that.

Pkiernan

kneesox wrote: »

As I said, apart from my dog (who is clean house trained and never destroyed anything) I look at all houses available (pictures on daft) and its ALL bad.
Why would they spend anything? ( to be decent!? and not greedy and not rip people of letting them live in appealing conditions?
Have never seen this so bad anywhere in western world/ Europe!

Here's a suggestion - buy a place, then do it up as nice as you want!

godtabh

Pkiernan wrote: »

Here's a suggestion - buy a place, then do it up as nice as you want!

or rent it out. See where that gets you!

Speedwell

I agree. When we viewed our house, there was leftover moldy food in the turned-off refrigerator, filthy carpets in every carpeted room, the hob was covered in black, greasy goo, there were crayon marks on the doors and rails (the walls themselves had been given a quick cover coat), all the beds had been peed in, there were only two mismatched kitchen chairs that didn't match the table (and one chair had its rungs chewed almost completely through by a dog), the oil had been completely drained and the oil tank itself broken, and someone had installed a dryer hose in place of the main wastewater drain pipe (you cannot imagine how the downstairs stank). We were able to get the owner only to clean the refrigerator, fix (but not clean) the oven, remove (but not replace) the filthy beds, and get someone in to fix the oil tank so we could put oil in it and to replace the dryer hose with a proper plumbing pipe. He agreed that the carpets were in a dreadful state and we insisted on writing it into the lease.

If I had left my apartment in the US in the same state as we had to accept this house, I would not only have lost my deposit and not been given a glowing reference, but would have had to pay hundreds of dollars in cleaning and repair and replacement charges, and if I'd filed a court case, it would have gone against me. Every time I moved house in America, I hired in a cleaner to make sure everything was spotless.

Our landlord is glad he rented to me. If you aren't happy renting your place out, folks, I suggest you stop doing it!

kneesox

Haha, I here not to argue if its bad or nor or listen to suggestions to buy or not. (I am not buying for many reasons, maybe one - I don't know where or for how long)
All around Europe people are renting, you don't need to own your own house to be able to live in comfort nice MODERN house.
Would like to hear constructive opinions from people who actually know more about this situation on market and is reasons.

kneesox

Speedwell wrote: »

I agree. When we viewed our house, there was leftover moldy food in the turned-off refrigerator, filthy carpets in every carpeted room, the hob was covered in black, greasy goo, there were crayon marks on the doors and rails (the walls themselves had been given a quick cover coat), all the beds had been peed in, there were two mismatched kitchen chairs that didn't match the table (and one chair had its rungs chewed almost completely through by a dog), the oil had been completely drained and the oil tank itself broken, and someone had installed a dryer hose in place of the main water drain pipe (you cannot imagine how the downstairs stank). We were able to get the owner only to clean the refrigerator, fix (but not clean) the oven, remove (but not replace) the filthy beds, and get someone in to fix the oil tank so we could put oil in it and to replace the dryer hose with a proper plumbing pipe. He agreed that the carpets were in a dreadful state and we insisted on writing it into the lease.

If I had left my apartment in the US in the same state as we had to accept this house, I would not only have lost my deposit and not been given a glowing reference, but would have had to pay hundreds of dollars in cleaning and repair and replacement charges, and if I'd filed a court case, it would have gone against me. Every time I moved house in America, I hired in a cleaner to make sure everything was spotless.

Our landlord is glad he rented to me. If you aren't happy renting your place out, folks, I suggest you stop doing it!

That sounds disgraceful but unfortunately it happens often. I have learned from experience never agree to let or accept keys before I see place.
Apart from cases like that where you are welcomed with dirt , even if its clean is poor quality from floors to the roof.

defrule

Probably because demand far exceeds supply, so you either take the ****ty place or have nowhere to stay.

kneesox

defrule wrote: »

Probably because demand far exceeds supply, so you either take the ****ty place or have nowhere to stay.

I agree its probably the case, but that only proofs landlords are greedy in most cases and they do make money on rented properties only not willing to invest to improve them.

Speedwell

defrule wrote: »

Probably because demand far exceeds supply, so you either take the ****ty place or have nowhere to stay.

That was exactly the situation we were in. We had to get a place to live within 90 days of my Irish husband bringing me to Ireland, or I could (probably) not get a residency visa. We were staying with a relative over the border and had limited time to do a search. We had the money to buy our own beds (I would rather, honestly) and a wet-vac to clean the carpets, and we spent the first week in the house scrubbing every reachable surface while I (I must admit) acted like a new father confronted by his first diaper. The house is obviously an Irish Tiger boom shack constructed by someone who was more of a cowboy than anyone I ever met living in Texas, but it meets our needs now that it's been properly cleaned.

All the apartments I ever rented in America, incidentally, were unfurnished. I honestly neither expected nor wanted any of the landlord's broken and filthy furnishings in this house. His disastrously ugly curtains and broken bookcases and scratched pans and bent flatware are in the shed out back, but at least we have a shed.

handlemaster

kneesox wrote: »

I agree its probably the case, but that only proofs landlords are greedy in most cases and they do make money on rented properties only not willing to invest to improve them.

How does is it proof of anything? If you want furniture to your taste buy it yourself. As you have pointed out thé rest of Europe and rental there you will know ... most places are rented without anything in them

Ri_Nollaig

Speedwell wrote: »

I agree. When we viewed our house, there was leftover moldy food in the turned-off refrigerator, filthy carpets in every carpeted room, the hob was covered in black, greasy goo, there were crayon marks on the doors and rails (the walls themselves had been given a quick cover coat), all the beds had been peed in, there were only two mismatched kitchen chairs that didn't match the table (and one chair had its rungs chewed almost completely through by a dog), the oil had been completely drained and the oil tank itself broken, and someone had installed a dryer hose in place of the main wastewater drain pipe (you cannot imagine how the downstairs stank). We were able to get the owner only to clean the refrigerator, fix (but not clean) the oven, remove (but not replace) the filthy beds, and get someone in to fix the oil tank so we could put oil in it and to replace the dryer hose with a proper plumbing pipe. He agreed that the carpets were in a dreadful state and we insisted on writing it into the lease.

If I had left my apartment in the US in the same state as we had to accept this house, I would not only have lost my deposit and not been given a glowing reference, but would have had to pay hundreds of dollars in cleaning and repair and replacement charges, and if I'd filed a court case, it would have gone against me. Every time I moved house in America, I hired in a cleaner to make sure everything was spotless.

Our landlord is glad he rented to me. If you aren't happy renting your place out, folks, I suggest you stop doing it!

This.

Its a two street, for every 'greedy landlord' there is a tenant who doesn't care and will happily leave the place in a state that will cost way more to restore then the deposit will cover. Any profit after mortgage/maintenance is also taxed at the higher rate.

Also, am I the only one who finds the term 'greedy landlord' cringey? They offer a service for profit. Of course they are going to try and maximize their profit margins, they wouldn't be doing it for long otherwise. Like with any other service you have to vote with your wallet and go to a different property if you think the house is not to standard.

The best action would be to offer more secure leases to empty houses. That way the tenant can furnish them as they see fit and its their responsibility to bring it back to that condition at the end. If they put up a shelf then they take down that shelf [and repair/repaint the wall] when they leave.

If they walk out of the lease or fail to restore it, they should be brought to court to be made pay damages as required, garnish social welfare if required.
Likewise the landlord should is responsible for ensure the house is clean and has all the agreed basics/services.

Also, if the tenant overholds, the eviction process should be fast tracked as soon as possible and not the possible 18 months it currently takes.

Sun in Capri

The incentive to do up a rental property would be that you could claim some of the costs against tax. I am a Landlord and have up to recently been a tenant too. I don't know how some Landlords have the neck to offer some places to tenants for rent. When I left a property having rented it for 4 years, the new tenants were moved in the next day!! I had the place in great order, better than when I had first rented it but it needed a fresh lick of paint and and a cream carpet (yes cream) needed replacing after years of wear and tear. Have a look at some places on Dublin NCR for example and see what type of places people have to live in. And yes, have to live in as there is not a lot of choice out there at present.

Danjamin1

I'm a landlord, I own a one bed apartment which I rent out to a tenant. The apartment is furnished with basic furniture but I wouldn't spend excessively when replacing any of this when the time comes. I will spend money to replace things to a reasonable manner but I certainly won't be shelling out excessively. If a tenant doesn't like something or would rather buy their own furniture then that's fine, I have no issue with that.

Likewise I have rented both in Ireland & abroad. When renting abroad the apartment was completely unfurnished so I had to buy everything myself. Was able to furnish it to my taste & left the place in good condition when I left. Similarly when I rented in Ireland I was happy with the furnishings in the apartment bar one couch which was in very poor condition. When this was brought up with the landlord they happily replaced the couch.

The fact is it's a risk renting property out to someone else who may not have the same standard of care/cleanliness as you. I've had my apartment left in awful condition by one tenant & in immaculate condition by another. But given the chance it could be left in a terrible state again with no real recourse for me to follow if this happens I won't be spending a lot on the contents of the apartment. It will be furnished with the basics (I'll check the existing contents to make sure they're adequate) & cleaned/painted before renting again but no more than that.

Speedwell

When I lived in America, we had one of the largest IKEA shops just fifteen minutes from me. Along with the rest of the city, I went crazy in there. If the Dublin IKEA shipped to me for a reasonable charge, there would be not one stick of landlord's furnishings in this entire place. I have no problem whatsoever with basic, decent, clean furnishings in good repair.

Butters1979

I've rented in a few different places now and found the furniture to be fairly decent.
You might have just been unlucky but I find it most likely the fact you have a pet means you are limited to accommodation in which the furnishings are not highly valued by the LL.

Danjamin1

Butters1979 wrote: »

I've rented in a few different places now and found the furniture to be fairly decent.
You might have just been unlucky but I find it most likely the fact you have a pet means you are limited to accommodation in which the furnishings are not highly valued by the LL.

That's a good point, I have a dog myself, however I didn't get a dog while renting for the simple reason that it's not practical when renting. As a tenant I didn't expect it and as a landlord I wouldn't allow it, both personally and because it's against management rules. From a personal standpoint I know how well behaved pets can be, but when renting to someone you don't know you're not in a position to accept the risk that their pet may not be well behaved.

KomradeBishop

Sellers market (or rather 'landlords market'), so they don't have to care about any of this, they can shift the cost of cleaning up the place and of obtaining good furniture, onto the people renting - while still likely having no problem finding tenants, as tenants have little choice but to put up with it.


Landlord profit margins are hardly small, so there's no justification for it - so it is pretty much just pure greed and cost-offsetting.

Someone has to clean the fúcking place, and the landlord is too stingy to either do it themselves or pay someone to, before renting it out again....


'Maximizing profit margins' doesn't excuse externalizing costs onto other people. If there aren't already, there should be regulations mandating that new rentals on the market meet minimum guidelines for cleanliness - and that landlords can be reported and fined for breaches.

Butters1979

*Facepalm*

KomradeBishop wrote: »

Sellers market (or rather 'landlords market'), so they don't have to care about any of this, they can shift the cost of cleaning up the place and of obtaining good furniture, onto the people renting - while still likely having no problem finding tenants, as tenants have little choice but to put up with it.

Yes fair enough, but again you are shown the property before deciding if it’s worth the cost. Furniture does not actually be supplied. It's down to the LL to chose too.

KomradeBishop wrote: »

Landlord profit margins are hardly small, so there's no justification for it - so it is pretty much just pure greed and cost-offsetting.

Actually I’d say a lot of landlord profit margins are small, and even if they’re not, it’s their right. Why spend massive amounts on expensive furniture for a stranger to use. You’re paying for accommodation, you don’t like the coffee table, by your own.

KomradeBishop wrote: »

Someone has to clean the fúcking place, and the landlord is too stingy to either do it themselves or pay someone to, before renting it out again....

This is just ranting. The tenant has to clean the place as they live there, and the last tenant should have cleaned the place before that.

KomradeBishop wrote: »

'Maximizing profit margins' doesn't excuse externalizing costs onto other people. If there aren't already, there should be regulations mandating that new rentals on the market meet minimum guidelines for cleanliness - and that landlords can be reported and fined for breaches.

There are regulations, again, furniture does not actually have to be supplied. So in fairness you could argue any furniture that is supplied is the LL going above and beyond.

The Randy Riverbeast

It's a bit of a cycle. LL fills the house with crap they found, it is in poor condition so the tenant doesn't take care of it or it just isn't made to last longer, LL doesn't want to fill the house with stuff that would be expensive to replace.

I've had both proper leather sofas and the cheap ones. After a year one looked like it wasn't used, the other was peeling.

Speedwell

Butters1979 wrote: »

So in fairness you could argue any furniture that is supplied is the LL going above and beyond.

The awful, broken, chewed, nasty furniture that was left in this house would disgrace a storage unit. I had to insist to the leasing agent that the landlord "take out the trash" so I could buy my own replacements. That is decidedly NOT going "above and beyond". At least he didn't, like I have heard others do, take the p*** by telling me I needed to pay for the storage of the garbage.

Butters1979

Speedwell wrote: »

The awful, broken, chewed, nasty furniture that was left in this house would disgrace a storage unit. I had to insist to the leasing agent that the landlord "take out the trash" so I could buy my own replacements. That is decidedly NOT going "above and beyond". At least he didn't, like I have heard others do, take the p*** by telling me I needed to pay for the storage of the garbage.

The LL doesn't have to supply furniture. You saw the place before you agreed to rent it and you had the option of either using the supplied furniture or buying your own. Some people would prefer to use anything than buy their own.

So what's your problem?

Speedwell

Butters1979 wrote: »

The LL doesn't have to supply furniture. You saw the place before you agreed to rent it and you had the option of either using the supplied furniture or buying your own. Some people would prefer to use anything than buy their own.

So what's your problem?

What's yours? I didn't have a problem buying my own; if you actually read my previous posts you would have seen that I preferred to.

dearg lady

Speedwell wrote: »

The awful, broken, chewed, nasty furniture that was left in this house would disgrace a storage unit. I had to insist to the leasing agent that the landlord "take out the trash" so I could buy my own replacements. That is decidedly NOT going "above and beyond". At least he didn't, like I have heard others do, take the p*** by telling me I needed to pay for the storage of the garbage.

This is part of the problem, I have seen places absolutely crammed with rubbish furniture and landlords refusing to remove it. I definitely would like to see a move towards unfurnished rentals

keane2097

Yeah we have a conservatory crammed with broken white goods, unwanted beds etc that the landlord has been promising to get rid of for years.

Butters1979

Speedwell wrote: »

What's yours? I didn't have a problem buying my own; if you actually read my previous posts you would have seen that I preferred to.

But you had a problem with what was supplied in the first place. At least the tenant has a choice, some people would take what they can get if they can't afford to buy something themselves.

My problem is the self entitlement in this thread. LL's do not have to supply furniture. Any they do at least gives you a choice.


You see the property before you agree to rent it, take it or leave it to the next person. The issue with LL's not removing unwanted furniture is something else entirely. But again, you see the property before you agree to rent it.

Speedwell

Butters1979 wrote: »

But you had a problem with what was supplied in the first place. At least the tenant has a choice, some people would take what they can get if they can't afford to buy something themselves.

My problem is the self entitlement in this thread. LL's do not have to supply furniture. Any they do at least gives you a choice.


You see the property before you agree to rent it, take it or leave it to the next person. The issue with LL's not removing unwanted furniture is something else entirely. But again, you see the property before you agree to rent it.

Yeah, all tenants are completely spoiled for choice. "The market" solves everything. (yawn)

EDIT: THIS POST CONTAINS SARCASM

athtrasna

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